Elon Law’s inaugural Alumni Involvement Week, held Oct. 19-22, welcomed dozens of alumni to share insights with students and strengthen professional connections.
“It is important for Elon Law alumni to connect with students, and this week was an excellent opportunity to do so,” said Jennifer Reutter, president of the Elon Law Alumni Association and attorney with Rossabi Black Slaughter PA. “It was great to hear about alumni coming back to the Law School, sharing their real life experiences with classes and participating in panels. We had wonderful participation at the first Alumni Involvement Week and I’m looking forward to seeing this week grow in the future.”
Elon Law’s Alumni Involvement Week included the following activities:
- Coffee & Conversation morning reception with Elon Law faculty, students and alumni
- “All Things Elon & Beyond” alumni panel
- “Alumni Topic Talks” small group discussions for students, led by alumni in the following fields of law: clerkships, family law, criminal law, personal injury, business/in-house counsel, non-traditional opportunities and solo practice
- “Minority Perspectives in the Profession”, a panel co-sponsored by the Black Law Students Association, featuring Elon Law faculty member Cassandra Thomas Roberts; Willie Fennell L’13 with The Law Office of Ramey & Fennell; Nikki Feliciano L’11 with Pinto Coates Kyre & Bowers, PLLC; Kristen Delforge L’14 with Whited Law Firm, PLLC; and David Morrow L’10 with Elon University.
- “Compliance Panel” hosted by Elon Law’s Office of Student & Professional Life
- A series of in-class visits by alumni to share experiences with current students about their areas of expertise
- The week concluded with Elon Law’s Greensboro Alumni Regional Event, a special evening reception held at B. Christopher’s restaurant in downtown Greensboro.
Several Elon Law alumni who attended the week’s events reflected on the value of the interactions with students and fellow alumni:
“I attended the Greensboro Alumni Regional Event because I wanted to reconnect with the people that helped me realize my dream to practice law,” said William Vaughan L’11 of The Law Office of William B. Vaughan, PLLC in Galax, Va. “Elon Law accepted me as a whole person from my first interview and encouraged me to bring my own particular talents to the school and to the field. I am grateful to the administration for the chance, to the professors and my fellow students for the terrific learning environment. I think it’s important for all of us to support one another with our encouragement, experiences and time.”
“I enjoyed the chance to come back and talk to students,” said E. Drew Nelson L’12, attorney with North Carolina law firm Brinkley Walser Stoner. “The small group setting with current students and alumni was great because it enabled students to hear about the different realities between law school and practice after law school. I also got to learn from the students about new and exciting things going on at Elon.”
“I am extremely pleased to have been a part of the first Elon Law Alumni Involvement Week,” said Courtney Roller L’13 of Roller Law, in Thomasville, N.C., who served on the alumni planning committee for the week with Ben Crissman L’13 and Jeremy Leonard L’11. “Being encouraged and supported by fellow Elon Law graduates and taking it upon ourselves to expand that network of support to the current students is really what this week was about for me. Coming back to Elon Law was a welcomed reminder of the community we have built – and are still building – together.”